Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-03-03
THE NEW PARTY.
Platform Adopted by the National
Industrial Conference.

/
CINCINNATI, Feb. 24.-The com.
mittee on resolutions of the National
Industrial Conference reported the fol
lowing platform.
A trifiing fisheries dispute is seized
upon rs an excuse for squandering pub.
lie money upon unnecessary military
preparations which are designed to
breed spirit of war, to ape European
despotism, and TO empty the treasury
without paying the public debt. Under
these and other alarming conditions we
appeal to the people of this whole
country to come out of the old party
organizations, whose Indifference to the
public welfare is responsible for this
distress, and help us to organize Il new
political party, not sectional but ma
tional, whose members shall be called
COmmoners and whose object it shall
be to repeal all class laws in favor of
the rich and to relieve the distress of
our industries by establishing the fol-
lowing principles:
| ]. Land-Every human being pos
sesses q natural and inalienable right to
sufficient land for self-support and we
desire to secure to every industrious
citizen home, as the highest of free
institutions. To this end we demand a
graduated land tax on all large estates,
especially those held for speculative
or tenant purpose: the immediate OPEN
ing of Oklohama to homestead settle
ment; the purchase of all unoccupied
Indian lands and the settlement of
the various tribes upon lands in sever
atty; also laws preventing corporations
from acquiring real estate beyond the
requirements of their business and
alien ownership of land. The systems
of irrigation in States and Territories
where necessary shall be under such
public control as shall secure the free
and equitable use of the waters and
| franchise to the people,
2. Transportation mean of COM
municatiOn and transportation should
be owned or controlled by the people,
as is the United States postal system,
and equitable rates everywhere estab-
lished.
8. MOney.-The establishment of
national monetary system in the in
terest of the producer instead of the
speculator and usurer, by which a circu-
lating medium is necessary. The guam
tity, and full legal tender, shall be is
sued directly to the people without
the interventions of banks, or loaned
to citizens upon ample security, at o
low rate of interest, to relieve them
from the extortions of usury and en-
able them to control the money sup
established. While we have a free
coinage ofgold we should have free
coinage of silver. We demand the
prompt payment of the national debt
and condemn the further issue of in
terest bearing bonds by the national
government or by state, territories,
counties or municipalities. -
4. Labor-Arbitration should take
the place of strikes and other injurious
methods of settling labor disputes; the
letting of convict labor to contractors
be prohibited; the contract system be
abolished in public works; the hours of
labor in industrial establishments be
reduced to commensurate with the in
crease of production in labor saving
machinery; employees to be protected
from bodily injury; equal pay being
given for equal work for both sexes;
and labor, agricultural and cooperative
associations be fostered and incorporat-
ed by law. The foundation of repblic
is the intelligence of its citizens, and
the children who are driven into work.
shops, mines and factories are deprived
of the education which should be
secured to all by proper legislation
We desire to see labor organizations ex-
tend throughout all civilized countries
until it shall be impossible for despots
to array the workingmen of one coun
try in war against their brothers of
another country.
5. Soldiers and Sailors-In appre-
citation of the services of United States
soldiers and sailors we demand for them
justice before charity. The purposely
deprecated money paid them during
the war should be made equal in value
to the gold paid the bondhOlder. The
soldier was promised coin or its equiva-
lent and was paid on deprecated paper.
The bondholder loaned the government
deprecated paper and contracted to
take it back, but was paid in gold.
6. Income taxa graduated income
tax is the most equitable system of
taxation, placing the burden of the gov
ernment on those who can best afford
to pay, instead of lying it on the farm
ers and producers and eXempting the
millionaire bondhoiders and corpora
tiODs.
I. The United States Senate-The
capture of the United States Senate by
millionaires and the tools of corpora
tions who have no sympathy with free
institutions threatens the existence of
the Republic. We demand q cOnstitu-
tional amendment making United
States Senators elective by direct vote
of the people.
s. Chinese-A state and national law
should be passed to effectually exclude
from America the Mongolian slave and
all Asiatic competition.
8. Armed men-The employment of
bodies of armed men by private cor
porations should be prohibited.
10. Equality-The right to vote is in
herent in citizenship irrespective ofsex.
IL. Temperance-Excessive wealth,
resulting in luxury and idlenesss on the
one hand, and exclusive toll and prov
erty on the other, leads to intemper-
ance and vice. The measure of reform
here demanded will prove to the scien-
tiic solution of the temperance ques-
tion.
c:.~~one T T.;x,au T anuIutor